Investing in cryptocurrency and crypto assets is high risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.Investing in cryptocurrency and crypto assets is high risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.
If you’re ready to start investing in cryptocurrency, we’ve found the best crypto exchanges and platforms for you to start investing.
With Bitcoin and Ethereum seeing a resurgence, you might be wondering where are the best places to buy crypto? What are the best exchanges and platforms where you can invest in Bitcoin, or even altcoins?
Do you need to already have Bitcoin to invest? Or do you transfer money from your bank account to somewhere and convert it to Bitcoin? What does that look like?
We’ll answer all of these questions and list 10 of the best cryptocurrency exchanges and platforms that allow you to buy Bitcoin and other tokens.
Going forward, we’ll use BTC, which is the symbol for Bitcoin on exchanges and trading platforms.
If you just want to earn a high return with crypto, you might consider a crypto savings account. These accounts pay up to 10%, but do come with risks (just like regular crypto investing). Check out the best cryptocurrency savings accounts here.
Editor’s Picks For Best Crypto Exchanges:
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Best Crypto Exchanges and Investing Platforms
Here is our list of the 10 best cryptocurrency exchanges and investing or trading platforms. The cyrpto offers that appear on this site are from companies from which The College Investor receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The College Investor does not include all cryptocurrency exchanges or all crypto offers available in the marketplace.
1. Coinbase
Coinbase is by far the most popular and one of the best cryptocurrency exchanges because you can invest directly with USD. You can currently purchase Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin and 30+ other coins and tokens on the platform. Furthermore, you can earn interest on your USDT, and you can earn token rewards by completing various activities.
Plus, when you open a new Coinbase account, you get a $10 BTC bonus after you trade $100 if you sign up using our link!
Read our full Coinbase Review here.
2. Uphold
Uphold offers simple solution to trading multiple assets — open one account and trade multiple assets without making a trip back to cash. If you’ve every traded crypto, you’ll know a lot of coins and tokens only trade in certain pairs, so you’re always going back to BTC or ETH. But on Uphold, you can trade multiple assets directly.
Plus, Uphold is one of the few exchanges that allows you to trade XRP, DOGE, and more.
Read our full Uphold review here.
Terms Apply. Cryptoassets are highly volatile. Your capital is at risk.
3. Kraken
Kraken is one of the original crypto trading platforms and they have a good selection of coins and tokens to trade and invest in. They also allow margin trading. However, it’s a real exchange, and not as easy to use as some of the top platforms on this list.
Kraken is one of the few platforms on this list that allow you to trade in DOGE and other, more risky, tokens.
Note: Kraken offers a limited section of coins and tokens to US customers versus international customers.
Read our full Kraken review here.
4. Gemini
Gemini is a popular platform to invest in crypto as it was one of the first major exchanges, and today it’s one of the largest by assets.
Gemini supports most major cryptocurrencies, has decent support and engagement, and pays competitive interest rates on assets, if you qualify.
Plus, when you open a Gemini account and refer a friend, you can both earn $15 in BTC or another crypto of your choice, once your friend trades $100 within 30 days of sign-up.
Read our full Gemini review here.
Get up to $15 in BTC free!
5. Bitstamp
Bitstamp is one of the oldest and most well-established cryptocurrency exchanges. Founded in 2011, it’s been operating for over 10 years. It offers over 70 tokens that you can trade.
Bitstamp has a volume-based fee structure, allows you to buy crypto instantly with your credit or debit card, and has a solid mobile app.
Read our full Bitstamp review here.
6. eToro
eToro has been around for a while in the UK and throughout Europe, but they are now allowing traders in the United States. They offer a huge variety of digital assets to buy and sell on their platform, and even better, they have a practice trading account so you can give it a try before you actually use real funds.
Right now, eToro is also offering a $10 bonus if you deposit and trade $100 in crypto-assets. This offer is only available for US users.
Read our full eToro review here.
Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance. The College Investor may be compensated if you access certain products or services offered by the MSB.
7. Bitcoin IRA
Bitcoin IRA is a little different than the other platforms here. Unlike most exchanges and wallets, you’re basically just exchanging currency and are subject to paying taxes on your gains (learn how taxes on your cryptocurrencies work here).
With that being said, Bitcoin IRA combines the best of being a crypto wallet and exchange, with also being an IRA. That means that your gains inside the account are tax free or tax deferred.
Read our full Bitcoin IRA review here.
8. Crypto.com
Crypto.com is one of the largest and fastest growing crypto exchanges. It’s based in Hong Kong, but offers a ton of support for US-based customers.
Right now, you can have access to over 90 tokens and coins worldwide, and 50 tokens and coins if you’re in the United States. Plus, the offer solid rates on their crypto savings accounts.
The only major drawback is that it’s only app-based at this time, there is no desktop platform.
Read our full Crypto.com review here.
9. Binance
A great platform for getting into some currencies like Cardano or Neo. Not as easy to use as some of the top platforms on this list, but they do have one of the most robust trading platforms out there. They do have a decent mobile app, but again, not as easy to use and we’ve been frustrated with it. Try Binance here.
Note: Binance.us is the US-version of the platform and has limited coins and tokens to invest in versus the international version of Binance.
Read our full Binance review here.
10. M1 Crypto
M1 Finance is one our top picks for investing apps and brokerages because they allow you to create a pie and invest and rebalance to that specific allocation. Plus, for investments, it’s $0 commissions.
They recently launched the same tool for crypto – where you can invest in a pie/allocation of cryptocurrencies, setup automatic investments and rebalancing, and even use thematic pies like web3 or DeFi.
Check out our full M1 Finance Crypto review here.
How To Invest In Bitcoin
Investing in BTC is similar to investing in stocks, except far more volatile because of the daily swings in BTC. Here are the steps to invest in stocks from the beginning:
- Open a brokerage account at a firm that allows crypto investments
- Deposit funds from your bank into the brokerage account.
- Buy a stock using deposited funds (cash balance).
- Later sell the stock for a gain or loss. Funds are returned to your cash balance.
The main difference with BTC is for step three; you buy BTC or another cryptocurrency instead of stock.
With BTC, the above flow is similar in most cases but it depends on the exchange or trading platform. In some cases, you can buy BTC using your credit card or by transferring funds from your bank account.
For other platforms, you must transfer BTC directly. This is known as a direct deposit of BTC.
We’ll discuss how to invest in BTC for US citizens. The methods vary across countries because of differences in laws and regulations. Some countries require more private information than others to verify you are legitimate.
How To Deposit USD To Buy Bitcoin And Crypto
Coinbase is one of the most popular platforms and has a…
Read More: 10 Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges Of 2024
Disclaimer:The information provided on this website does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other sort of advice and you should not treat any of the website’s content as such. NewsOfBitcoin.com does not recommend that any cryptocurrency should be bought, sold, or held by you. Do conduct your own due diligence and consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.